Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bayero University Kano (BUK) chapter, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest to demand the immediate payment of three and a half months’ withheld salaries, settlement of promotion arrears, implementation of the renegotiated ASUU/FG 2009 agreement, and improved welfare for university lecturers.

SolaceBase reports that the lecturers, who converged on the university premises, carried placards with inscriptions highlighting their grievances.

They lamented that the federal government’s refusal to settle their arrears despite several appeals has continued to demoralize staff and undermine productivity.

Speaking during the demonstration, the Vice Chairman of ASUU-BUK, Comrade Yusuf Madugu, said the protest was aimed at drawing attention to the plight of academics, warning that continued neglect could disrupt academic activities.

“We are demanding salary increment, better welfare, and university autonomy. We still have three and a half months of withheld salaries. We worked for this money. After the 2022 strike, we returned to classrooms, conducted lectures, coordinated examinations, and marked scripts. Yet, the government has refused to pay us,” he said.

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He explained that out of seven and a half months’ salaries withheld during the strike, only four months had been paid, leaving three and a half months outstanding. He also stressed the need for the revitalization of universities.

“This protest is timely. We have presented our demands to the government, but they have dragged on for too long. The renegotiated 2009 agreement must be signed and implemented. Today’s protest is only the first step. If the government fails to act, we will be forced to take further action,” Comrade Madugu warned.

He noted that ASUU had held several meetings with government representatives without any progress, insisting that “the only language the government understands is protest.” He added that if the government continues to ignore their demands, more drastic actions would follow.

The lecturers called on the federal government to honor its commitments, resolve pending issues around promotion arrears, and address other welfare challenges facing university staff nationwide.

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Supporting the protest, the President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) at BUK, Abdullahi Usman Baba, appealed to the federal government to honor its agreement with ASUU and settle the outstanding issues to avoid disruption of academic activities.

The protest, which lasted for several hours, was conducted peacefully without disrupting lectures or other campus activities.